Top performer of the month September

The top performer of the month September is Edgar Siwilanji Silwiz. Edgar is our Sports and Play coordinator in Zambia and our athlete in the team! As an olympic sportsman he is a great example and inspiring person for many people within and outside Join for Joy! With his inescapable energy and passion for sports for development he is able to inspire young and old in this world! Edgar therefore was invited as one of the spokespersons to represent Join for Joy during the opening of the Eurekaweek 2019 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

5000 young students had gathered in Ahoy, one of the most celebrated stadiums in the Netherlands. And that is an understatement. The Ahoy was recently selected as the stadium where the Eurovision Songfestival will be hosted next year. Join for Joy was selected as the charity for the Eurekaweek. Edgar did the impossible, he let 5000 students play the ” I pick the ball” game! What an energy and enthusiasm he created!

Next to that he touched the audience by his moving story about Monica. Monica is the great example of the impact of sports for development. This Zambian 15 year girl said no to arranged marriage. Monica said no. Because marrying at a young age means quitting school and taking care for your husband and future kids instead. Quitting school means not pursuing her dream. Monica’s dream is to become a teacher. It takes a huge amount of courage to stand up for yourself. To remain true to yourself, especially as a girl in a community with strong social norms can be an uphill struggle. You need to find your purpose, to develop courage, and train that skill! And that is exactly what Monica did during our sports and play program at her school. She learned how to set her own boundaries, physically and emotionally. She discovered her talents, and learned how to make healthy decisions.

Edgar is one of the experts in our Join for Joy team who helps to train teachers from rural primary schools to inspire children like Monica to use sports and play to get empowered!Joy Empowers “A girl with a voice is a strong girl”

With this amazing performance, his special personality and strong mindset he is more than the well deserved “top performer of the month”. We are proud on having people like Edgar in our team.